Romney to Gingrich: If you can't stand the heat, wait until Obama's Hell's kitchen

KEENE, N.H. -- On the first stop of his statewide bus tour today, Mitt Romney delivered a blunt message to rival Newt Gingrich when it comes to his Super PAC's attack ads: You think this is bad? You ain't seen nothing yet.

"I know that the speaker would like to say that we shouldn't have any negativity," Romney told NBC's Chuck Todd in an interview on MSNBC's The Daily Rundown. "But, look, if you can't handle the heat in this little kitchen, the heat that's going to come from Obama's Hell's kitchen is going to be a heck of a lot hotter. We have to show that we, as a Republican Party, and as a candidate that we can stand up to the barrage that's going to come from the Obama world."

Restore our Future, a super PAC supporting Romney, has purchased more than $3 million of advertising hitting Gingrich.

“I have a simple challenge for Gov. Romney,” Gingrich said yesterday. “This PAC was created by his former staff and funded by his personal friends. If he wants to stop it, he can say [so] publicly. I am told they are going to spend $1.4 dollars next week. He can demand that every ad be positive. I don't object to being out spent, I object to lies. I object to negative smear campaigns and I object to things the candidate himself refuses to support.”

Romney said he agreed on telling the truth.

"The speaker thinks all negative attacks should end," Romney said, "but this is after all a campaign and campaigns do point out differences between candidates, draw out those distinctions. It's important that they be accurate, tell the truth. But I've been the subject of some pretty tough attacks that have come both from the speaker but also from President Obama's Super PAC."

The warning comes as Romney looks to lock down his support in New Hampshire by engaging in a statewide bus tour, flanked by top surrogates.

This morning, Romney was touted by the entire panel at the Stage Diner here before taking questions. Former Sen. Judd Gregg, Sen. Kelly Ayotte, and Congressman Charlie Bass all praised Romney's experience and electability. New endorsers Jennifer Horn (a conservative activist) and the Keene Mayor-elect also spoke.